Meta elements are tags that provide information about a web page, such as its title, description, keywords, author, language, and more.
Meta elements are not displayed on the page, but they can affect how the page is indexed and displayed by search engines and other web services.
Meta elements can also be used to control the behavior of browsers, such as redirecting to another URL, refreshing the page, or setting the character encoding.
In this guide, we will explain what meta elements are, how to use them, and why they are important for SEO and web development.
2. What are Meta Elements?
Meta elements are HTML tags that are placed inside the <head> section of a web page. They have the following syntax:
<meta name="attribute" content="value">
The name attribute specifies the type of information that the meta element provides, and the content attribute specifies the actual information. For example, the following meta element specifies the title of the web page:
<meta name="title" content="The Beginner's Guide to Meta Elements">
Some meta elements use the http-equiv attribute instead of the name attribute. The http-equiv attribute mimics the effect of an HTTP header, which is a piece of information that is sent by the server along with the web page.
For example, the following meta element sets the character encoding of the web page:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
There are many types of meta elements that can be used for different purposes. Some of the most common ones are:
<meta name="description" content="...">: This meta element provides a short summary of the web page, which is often displayed by search engines as a snippet under the page title.<meta name="keywords" content="...">: This meta element provides a list of keywords that are relevant to the web page, separated by commas. This can help search engines understand what the page is about and match it to user queries.<meta name="author" content="...">: This meta element provides the name of the author or creator of the web page.<meta name="viewport" content="...">: This meta element controls how the web page is displayed on different devices, such as mobile phones and tablets. It can specify the width, height, scale, and orientation of the viewport, which is the visible area of the screen.<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="...">: This meta element instructs the browser to reload or redirect to another URL after a specified number of seconds.
3. How to Use Meta Elements?
To use meta elements, you need to place them inside the <head> section of your HTML document, before the <body> section.
You can use as many meta elements as you want, but make sure they are relevant and accurate for your web page.
Here is an example of a simple HTML document with some meta elements:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="title" content="The Beginner's Guide to Meta Elements"> <meta name="description" content="Learn what meta elements are, how to use them, and why they are important for SEO and web development."> <meta name="keywords" content="meta elements, HTML, SEO, web development"> <meta name="author" content="Bing"> </head> <body> ... </body> </html>
You can check if your meta elements are working properly by using tools such as Google's Structured Data Testing Tool or Bing's Markup Validator.
These tools can help you identify any errors or warnings in your meta elements and suggest improvements.
4. Why are Meta Elements Important?
Meta elements are important for several reasons:
- They can help search engines understand what your web page is about and rank it accordingly. For example, the
titleanddescriptionmeta elements can influence the click-through rate of your web page, as they are often displayed as the headline and snippet in the search results. - They can help web services and social media platforms display your web page correctly and attractively. For example, the
viewportmeta element can ensure that your web page is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes and orientations. Theog:meta elements, which are part of the Open Graph protocol, can specify how your web page is presented when it is shared on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. - They can help browsers and users interact with your web page more efficiently and securely. For example, the
refreshmeta element can update or redirect your web page automatically, without requiring user input. Therobotsmeta element, which is part of the Robots Exclusion Protocol, can instruct search engines whether to index or follow your web page or not.
5. Final Tip
Meta elements are powerful tools that can enhance your web page's performance and visibility on the web. You still need to create high-quality content that is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience. Meta elements are only one of the many factors that affect SEO and web development, so you should always keep learning and improving your skills.